The Green Tureen

Grandpa has decided to downsize, following the loss of his second wife. My parents flew out to help him pack up what he needed, sell things he didn’t need and clean the house he would be eventually selling.

And I reaped a few of the downsizing benefits..

Knowing my affinity for serving dishes and all things party related, Mom set aside a few things for me to enjoy. I fell in love with this immediately.

The Green Tureen sits proudly on my gigantic dining room table-mainly because I can’t bear the thought of hiding it away behind some cabinet door.

I may have to throw a soup and bread party just so that I can utilize its awesomeness. This must be honored and enjoyed by more than just me and the cats.

The platter that the Green Tureen sits on will be a conversational piece all on its own if the Tureen isn’t up for the event. I can picture cheeses, fruits, vegetables all gracing its beautiful green surface.

These are the only markings on the dish. I wish I knew more-how old it was, who made it, etc. For now, it remains a beautiful and glorious mystery that is begging to be useful.

Who wants to come over for some soup tonight?

Normal Reasons to be Thankful

I talked earlier this week about the Weird Reasons to be Thankful.
Now, I would like to share with you some normal reasons to be Thankful, since it is Thanksgiving day and my mother would appreciate it if I was more normal for once.

First and foremost, I am thankful for this hot little number-Biceps. Need I say more on that subject?

 

Secondly, I am thankful for my big crazy family. Every one of ’em. (I have another brother that should have been in this shot, but he ran off before I pulled out the camera. He hates to have his picture taken, apparently…)

 

I am thankful that I live here. Well, not here on Ellis Island-but here in America. I love my country.

 

I am thankful that I got to hang out with this guy for 8 years before he was called home to be with the Lord.

 

I am so thankful for these.

 

And for these two little troublemakers. And even though the number 7 on my keyboard is missing and I believe they have something to do with this, I am still thankful for them….

Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?

The Home Life Changes!

I’m back!
After 8 months of being away from blogging-I’m back ladies and gentlemen. I didn’t choose to be away, fate chose it for me. It was a rough loss for me back in January when my blog failed via the platform, Iweb.

I wanted to take this sledgehammer and smash Iweb’s face with it. Small problem-not sure where to find Iweb’s face.

I had built the site myself in Iweb and for some reason, after a year of blogging with that platform, Iweb decided it had had enough. The ability to update my site, add posts, change anything, was a distant memory.

I pinched my pennies for several months and hired a web designer to build my site (correctly) for me. Once the framework was in place, I had the duties of importing all of my old posts-a task that required copy and pasting each bit of text, each picture, each title…you get the idea. I lost some of my “pretties”, but sacrifices had to be made.

I have a few exciting things to catch you up on from my eight months of absence. I’ll be expanding on each of these items over the next couple of months. But, I thought you’d like a bit of an overview to wet the ol appetite.

THE BIG CHANGES ‘ROUND HAR (HERE):

I remodeled the Master Bedroom while Bicep’s was away making momma some money.

I also remodeled our Master Bathroom the next time he left for tour.

I got really interested in raising chickens in my backyard-so much so that I wrote an article about Urban Chicken Farming for the online and print paper, This Land Press. It’s the same paper that I have my bi-monthly column, “Together in Tulsa” in.

I planted my first full-fledged garden this year-inciting me to can, freeze, dehydrate and make new and exciting dishes like zucchini boats and squash pizza.

Cowboy, my sweet buddy of a cat, passed away. He died of renal kidney failure, compounded with a heart murmur. He was only eight, and I believe way too young. I wasn’t expecting how much this would affect me, but it certainly did.

I believe Cowboy is sitting on Grandpa’s lap in heaven. Those two had a unique bond.

After much sadness and the realization of how quiet are house was without Cowboy Cat 2000, Biceps coerced me into getting two new kitties from the rescue center. Their names are Maxwell and Bianca. You will be hearing lots from them, I assure you.

There is so much more to catch you up on-like this visit to a blue whale, but we don’t need to shove it all into one post, do we? I am so thankful to be blogging again, to visit with all of you and to catch up on your lives as well. Welcome back to Potholes and Pantyhose!

The Final Farm Days

I heart Iowa.
I heart the black dirt. I heart the farms.
I heart the people.
But, my heart is breaking. I just experienced an end of an era in Iowa.
Grandma is moving to town, and the family farm is now a rental. A rental?!
The farm has been in the Greiman farm forever. I mean it, FOREVER.
The family converged last weekend to throw on the rubber gloves and get down to the nitty gritty-cleaning out cobwebs and paper-rock-scissoring each other over things Grandma no longer wants.
We accidentally came home with a 6 x 12 trailer full of stuff that is now piled in my living room.
Yikes. It stinks to be so good at paper-rock-scissors.

The scene above is one I have witness many times over the years. The large pile of ‘whatever’ burning next to the old grain bin.
I heart burning things in the field.

Grandma’s house is wonderfully simple. It has a huge attic, an enormous basement, 3 beds and 1 bath. Hubby’s parents just installed a dishwasher and a shower upstairs-for her future tenants.
She hasn’t had either of these things for 94 years and she’s never complained about it.

I heart the sunsets here.

The life on Grandma’s farm is simpler, quieter, and less full of quality coffee shops. You win some, you loose some.

I heart Iowa cows, too.

I will miss the farm, but most of all, Grandpa. We just lost him last fall.
I never thought I couldn’t go back to the farm. But, life moves on.
I am so thankful that I have the memories and the bits of their life safe back home with me. I will show you some of my treasures soon.
Did you know that I heart Iowa?